Any Los Angeles commuters?
 

I've been pretty good about bike commuting these days. It's a tough slog from Pasadena to Burbank, about an hour each way. I've never once seen any bike commuters. I hardly even see any cyclists.

What's up with Burbank anyway. I spend most of my commute north of the 5 freeway, on Kenneth.. but trying to cross over to the other side is a death-defying feat of no-shoulder streets and freeway on-ramps.

I met a guy last year here in SD that was to be moving up to Pasadena. He said he was going to commute to USC! I haven't seen him around these parts so I imagine he's up your way. In talking to him he was commuting regularly from my area of town to Balboa hospital, so he was no stranger to a bike commute.

I live in downtown LA, commute to west hollywood. Been doing it for a while taking Olympic most of the way. I can say that when I started, I really didn't see any other bikers, now there seems to be alot more. With that said, I'm buying a house in Pasadena and wondering if Pasadena to West Hollywood is going to be to far for an every day ride...

I commute from N. Hollywood (Valley Glen:rolleyes:) to Vermont & Wilshire, sometimes by way of Griffith Park or the LA River but usually combining bike and subway. I don't meet too many cycle commuters on the road (more every day, however) but there is always at least one other in my subway car. Even apart from the subway, LA is a surprisingly good place to mix bike and bus to get where you are going--as long as you have all day to get there.

You people have some nerve referring to The Valley as Los Angeles. :p

I see plenty of commuters on my route, between Echo Park and Hollywood.

I commute from Long Beach to Downtown LA (22 miles) twice a week...next week I'll start doing it three times. I'm no speed demon, so it takes me about 1.5 hours.

I take the LA River to Vernon and ride the last 6ish miles in the street.

I'm originally from NYC. I don't see many commuters on bike, which is a surprise because the weather is great most of the year in LA. I'm guessing the car culture plays more than a small role here.

Lots of commuters all through Hollywood and the west-side. I probably see between 4-7 every time I ride to work.

I just moved here as well and a friend and I commute from West Hollywood (Beverley center area) to USC. After a few tries, we have nailed down a route that uses mostly side streets. We always run into at least one or two other people. The number is bound to grow and it's become the best part of my day.

riding out of necessity?
 

i rode in this morning from long beach to my job in downtown la, and i noticed there were a lot of bike commuters. the last leg of my trip takes me through vernon and through an industrial and less affluent parts of south la. i see lots of commuters on their bikes. it's interesting because it seems like many of these commuters ride out of necessity. maybe i'm wrong. but you see a lot of bikes older bikes that you would find in walmart and target (typically under $200).

the reason i bring it up is because much of the discussion here sounds like the commuters are a slightly better off (as evinced by the kinds of bikes and accessories often mentioned) and are more internet savvy (we participate in a discussion forum online). also, on this forum health benefits and reducing our environmental footprint are frequent topics.

I commute through East LA, 2.5 miles one way from Union Station to work. At 6AM. :D

I ride between Eagle Rock and Pasadena. Try to do it at least once per week. I usually run across one or two other riders on my way back home in the evening. I try to wave or nod to them but usually I dont get any response :|

What route do you take?

I tried Colorado to Verdugo last week, but didn't like the traffic and car exhaust. Instead I've been huffing it over the hill by the Art Center. Linda Vista to Chevy Chase, then down the hill. Then Glenoaks, Mountain and Kenneth through Burbank. About 18 miles each way.

Pasadena seems to be pretty good about their bike paths. Unfortunately most LA commuters don't work where they live. And as many of us have experienced, little planning has been put into creating a network of bike paths that effectively (and safely) spans the county.

I've been thinking about moving out to the west-side, Santa Monica. I don't think bike commuting will be an option from there to Burbank. I may move anyway, and try to find a job out that way.

I ride from Sherman Oaks in the Valley to West Los Angeles, then bike to UCLA and bus it home at night (too much effort to get over the pass everynight). It always amazes me that there are not more bike commuters. There are maybe 5 or 10 days where it rains or even drizzles, and the other 350+ days are a biker's wet dream.

I'm a bit east -- been riding from Claremont to Rancho Cucamonga for almost 3 months now. There are 2 other cyclists I see on a regular basis, both traveling the opposite way. The roads are fairly mellow out here, I'm surprised I don't see more.

Hey mikeyp and sinner,

Would you mind sending me a map of your routes? I've been considering commuting from Pasadena to Glendale and I'd like to know what are some good paths. Even though this is closer than my Pas to Culver City commute, the Pas to Glendale route seems less bike friendly.

I ride from south gate to cerritos. I take the san gabriel river bed for about 3 miles and notice the same 3 or 4 cyclist everyday. I dont think they are commuting since they usually arnt caring anything with them.

i ride from hermosa beach to east torrance. :) i'm lucky in that probably 85% of my commute has a dedicated bike lane.

Hey v6, I used to have a map routed out in Google Maps, but unfortunately I somehow deleted it. From memory, here's what I do:

1) head to Rose Bowl
2) up Salvia Canyon Rd
3) Right Linda Vista
4) Left Lida St (this is a pretty brutal climb, I do it on my commute.. but I've also been racing road bikes for a couple years)
5) Down Linda Vista (very quick decent here)
6) Left Chevy Chase (more descending)
7) Right Glenoaks.. another brutal climb (aka Happy Birthday Hill)
8) Right Cordova
9) Left Mountain
10) Right Brand
11) Left Kenneth

I would consider this a pretty advanced route. If you're really strong and comfortable on the bike try it.

A much easier alternate is to take La Loma Rd or Colorado. Then Monte Bonito to Hill Dr. Back to Colorado then Broadway to Verdugo. Then to Glenoaks. Look it up on the map, it'll make sense.

Since I work at the western border of Pasadena near the rose bowl, my route is really simple. I just head north on either ellenwood or eagle rock blvd (usually ellenwood, less traffic). Then east on colorado. On my way home, I just reverse it and will usually travel one of the side streets that parallels colorado.

That's impressive. I live in West LA, and although I'm not afraid of distances, going over the hill has always seemed like too daunting of a ride. Between the climb and the speeds people drive over the pass, I just don't have the stones for it.

Hey mikeyp123, i'm on kenneth a lot. Where are you headed after that (with the bridges and freeway onramps)?

Oh yeah, there's no way I could make that. :lol: That's gotta be an 8% grade or so over a mile. Thanks for the route, tho.

Agua Dulce to Burbank. 30 miles down Sierra Hwy to San Fernando to the airport - more or less.

DanO

Kenneth to Buena Vista, head south from there.. it's a little scary with the on/off-ramp freeway traffic, but it's usually moving slowly enough that I can take the lane. I work pretty close to the airport, on Empire.. I know, sucky location.